Endless track structure



June 8, 1965 'K..SANDGANGER ENDLESS TRACK STRUCTURE Filed. March 20, 1962 Fig.- Fig. 2

in their own plane. larly recommendable for track links which consist of only United States Patent Ofii ce 3,l88,l Patented June 8, 1965 Claims priority, application Germany, Mar. 21, 1961,

8 Claims. 61. 305 -35 This invention is concerned with endless tracks for cross-country vehicles, in particular for tanks, having links connected with each other by articulated joints and presenting profiled supporting surfaces made from rubber.

Endless tracks of this type are well-known in the art. It'is also well-known in the art that the supporting surfaces of the individual links of the endless track have the shape of ribs or bridges positioned transversely or obliquely with regard to the direction of travel, or which may have the profile of a truncated arrow or Vsshape. Endless tracks the links of which have supporting surfaces profiled in the manner mentioned above have the disadvantage of too little road holding ability. Moreover, the resistance of the individual links to tilting When the wheels roll over them is limited, so that constraints may arise in the track structure which might result in breakage or deformation of the link body or individual parts of it, or which might also lead to indentation and breakage of the articulated-joint rods connecting the individual links with each other. It has also been found that tanks having endless tracks with supporting surfaces profiled in a known manner have anunsatisfactory hillclimbing ability, which is due to toolittle a gripping capacity of such profiles.

It is an object of the invention to overcome these disadvantages of well-known endless tracks with rubber coated supporting surfaces of the track links. According to the invention, this object is substantially accomplished in that the supporting surfaces of the track links are arranged on both sides of the vertical central plane of the endless track from one link to the other alternating longitudinally and transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the endless track. According to the invention, it is possible to provide inalternating succession two longitudinal ribs and one tranverse rib, where the extent of the longitudinal and the transverse ribs is preferably the same longitudinally of the direction of the track and which may be so positioned transversely of the track that the transverse ribs fill the gap formed between the two preceding and the succeeding longitudinal ribs in a manner to bridge the distance existing between two longitudinal ribs. A special advantage can be obtained by making the transverse ribs of cruciform construction with the shorter transverse bar of the cross, disposed in the longitudinal direction of the track. 7

According to a further development of the present invention, the supporting surfaces of each individual link of the track may be arranged longitudinally of the endless track on the one side of the central plane of the track and transversely to the track on the other sideof said central plane. This makes it possible that, in spite of the alternating longitudinal and transverse position ing of the supporting surfaces of successive track links, equal links can be used when these are joined to form the track after having been rotated about 180 degrees This latter development is particu-' one link body extending over the entire width of the endless track. These and further'advantageous features will become apparent from'FIGS. 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of four embodiments of the invention.

Each of FIGS. 1 to 4 shows in simplified schematic representation viewed from below, one embodiment of an endless track conceived and constructed according to the invention. FIG. 5 is a section taken along line V-V in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of FIG. 3. Numeral 1' designates four successive track links of an endless track, each of which may either consist of two partial link bodies according to FIGS. 1 and 2 or of only one link body extending continuously over the entire width of the track according to FIGS. 3 and 4. The successive one or two-part track links 1 are connected with each other articulated joints formed by pivot joint rods 2 and their connecting pieces 3 and provided with central track guide teeth 4 engaging the travelling wheels of the tank. Said teeth 4 are arranged in the central plane EE of the endless track and fixed by clamp ing on the pivot joint rods 2 with the two-part track links (FIGS. 1, 2 and 5), or are mounted shear and torsion resistant directly on the track links with one-part links 1 (FIGS. 3, 4 and 6).

In the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 5, the first, third, fifth, etc. link of the successive track links 1 is provided on both sides of the vertical central plane E E of the endless track with two ribs or bridge-like profiles 5 which are positioned in spaced relationship to each other and in parallel to the longitudinal direction of the endless track, while each second, fourth, sixth, etc. track link 1 arranged. between said first, third, fifth, etc. links has one central supporting surface 6 on both sides of the vertical central plane EE of the endless track. These supporting surfaces 6 are of rectangular shape and of a width which approximately corresponds to the distance between the longitudinal ribs 5 of the adjacent track links 1, and the length of said supporting surfaces 6 in longitudinal direction of the track corresponds to that of the ribs 5. While thus said ribs 5 form supporting surfaces of the track links in longitudinal direction of the endless track, the solid central supporting surfaces 6 with their front ends, which are relatively large with respect to the front ends of the longitudinal ribs 5, form supporting surfaces positioned transversely to the endless track. p The embodiment according to FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings merely differs from that shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 in that the supporting surfaces 6' positioned transversely to the endless track and arranged from one link to the other in alternating succession with the longitudinal supporting surfaces 5, are of cruciform shape, and are so positioned with respect to the longitudinal ribs 5 that the shorter axis of the cross lies in the center of the longitudinal ribs 5 in the direction of the endless trackand that the longer axis of the cross is disposed transversely of the endless track.

While in the two embodiments according to FIGS. 1, 2 and 5 the profiles 5, 5 and 6, 6 or 6, 6, respectively, of the supporting surfaces of each of the successive track links 1 are symmetric with respect to the vertical central plane E'r-E of the endless track, the profiles 5, 6 or 5, 6', respectively, in the embodiment according to FIGS. 3, 4 and 6 is asymmetric with respect to said central plane EE inasmuch as each'individual track link 1 has a supporting surface'in the form oftwo longitudinal ribs 5 on one side of said central plane EE and one supporting surface 6 of rectangular shape (FIG. 3) or one cruciform supporting surface 6 (FIG. 4) on the other side of said central plane EE. The embodiments according to FIGS. 3, 4 and 6 have the same effect as the embodiments according to FIGS. 1, 2 and 5 but olfer the advantage over said latter embodiments that all individual links 1 of an endless track can be of absolutely identical shape, and that the longitudinal and transverse positioning of the supporting surfaces alternating from one link to the other as contemplated by the invention can be obtained by merely joining the successive track links in a position rotated about 180 degrees in their own plane. i

It will be understood that the scope of this invention also comprises structural modifications of the embodiments described and illustrated of the alternating ar rangement of longitudinal and transverse supporting surfaces. It is possible, for instance, also to arrange the longitudinal ribs in an oblique position relative to each" other and/or to provide the supporting surfaces, 6, 6 in lying T- or X-shaped design. a

v I claim:

1. An endless track for cross-country vehicles, particularly tanks, said track com-prising links presenting profiled supporting surfaces, said links being interconnected at adjacent ends thereof to form articulated joints, and said supporting surfaces of alternating links being of different shapes and being arranged on both sides of a vertical center plane and alternating on each side of said center plane from link to link longitudinally of said endless track, said surfaces on each side being defined by widely spaced pairs of elongated narrow supporting surface ribs on one said link laterally of said track alternating with one transverse supporting surface rib on an adjacent said link presenting a supporting surface corresponding substantially to the area of the free space intermediate said elongated ribs and substantially of the same extent longitudinally of said track .as said elongated ribs.

2. An endless track for cross-country vehicles, particularly tanks, said track comprising links presenting profiled supporting surfaces, said links being interconnected at adjacent ends thereof to form articulated joints, and said supporting surfaces of alternating links being of different shapes and being arranged on both sides of a vertic-al center plane and alternating on each side of said center plane from link to link longitudinally of said endless track, said surfaces on each side being defined by widely spaced pairs of elongated narrow supporting surface ribs on one said link laterally of said track alternating with one transverse supporting surface rib on an adjacent said link presenting a supporting surface corresponding substantially to the area of the free space intermediate said elongated ribs and substantially of the same extent longitudinally of said track as said elongated ribs, and said transverse ribs being disposed in an area corresponding substantially to the gap defined between the elongated ribs on adjacent said links.

3. An endless track for cross-country vehicles, particularly tanks, said track comprising links presenting protfiled supporting surfaces, said links being interconnected at adjacent ends thereof to form articulated joints, and said supporting surfaces of alternating links being of different shapes and being arranged on both sides of a vertical center plane and alternating on each side of said center plane from link to link longitudinally of said endless track, said surfaces on each side being defined by widely spaced pairs of elongated narrow supporting surface ribs on one said link laterally of said track alternating with one transverse supporting surface rib on an adjacent said link presenting a supporting surface corresponding substantially to the area of the free space intermediate said elongated ribs, said transverse ribs being disposed in an area corresponding substantially to the gap defined between the elongated ribs on adjacent said links, and said elongated ribs and said transverse ribs having the same extent longitudinally of said track.

4. An endless track for cross-country vehicles, particularly tanks, said track comprising links presenting profiled supporting surfaces, said links being interconnected at adjacent ends thereof to form articulated joints, and said supporting surfaces of alternating links being of d j different shapes and being arranged on both sides of a vertical center plane and alternating on each side of said center plane from link to link longitudinally of said endless track, said surfaces on each side being defined by widely spaced pairs of elongated narrow supporting surface ribs on one said link laterally of said track alternating With one transverse supporting surface rib on an adjacent said link presenting a supporting surface correspending substantially to the area of the free space intermediate said elongated ribs, said transverse ribs being disposed in an area corresponding substantially to the gap defined between the elongated ribs on adjacent said links, said elongated ribs and said transverse ribs having the same extent longitudinally of said track, said transverse surface .ribs being of rectangular shape and of a width corresponding substantially to the distance between said pair of elongatedribs. j

An endless track for cross-country vehicles, particularly tanks, said track comprising links presenting profiled supporting surfaces,said links being interconnected at adjacent ends thereof to form articulated joints, and said supporting surfaces of alternating links being of different shapes and being arranged on both sides of a vertical center plane and alternating on each side of said center plane from link to link longitudinally of said endless track, said surfaces on each side being defined by widely spaced pairs of elongated narrow supporting surface ribs on one said link laterally of sa d track alternating with one transverse supporting surface rib on an adjacent said link presenting a sup orting surface corre sponding substantially to the :area of the free space intermediate said elongated ribs, said elongated ribs and said transverse ribs having the same extent longitudinally of said track, and said transverse supporting surface ribs having a cruciform shape.

6. An endless track for cross-country vehicles, particularly tanks, said track comprising links presenting profiled supporting surfaces, said links being interconnected at adjacent ends thereof to form articulated joints, and said supporting surfaces of alternating links being of different shapes and being arranged on both sides of a vertical center plane and alternating on each side of said center plane from link to link longitudinally of said endless track, said surfaces on each side being defined by Widely spaced pairs of elongated narrow supporting surface ribs on one said link laterally of said track alternating with one transverse supporting surface rib on an adjacent said link presenting a supporting surface corresponding substantially to the area of the free space intermediate said elongated ribs, said elongated ribs and said transverse ribs having the same extent longitudinally of said track, said transverse supporting surface ribs having a cruciform shape, and having short cross arms extending longitudinally of said track.

7. An endless track for cross-country vehicles, particularly tanks, said track comprising links presenting profiled supporting surfaces, said links being interconnected at adjacent ends thereof to form articulated join-ts, and said supporting surfaces of alternating links being, of different shapes and being arranged on both sides of a vertical center plane and alternating on each side of said center plane from link to link longitudinally of said endless track, said surfaces on each side being defined by widely spaced pairs of elongated narrow supporting surface ribs on'one said link laterally of said track alternating with one transverse supporting surface rib on an adjacent said link presenting a supporting surface corresponing substantially to the area of the free space intermediate said elongated ribs, said transverse ribs being disposed in a gap defined between the longitudinal ribs on adjacent said links, and longitudinal ribs and said transverse ribs having the same extent longitudinally of said track, said transverse surface ribs being of rectangular shape and of a Width corresponding substantially to the distance between said pair of elongated ribs, and said transverse a vertical center plane and alternating on each side of 10 said center plane from link to link longitudinally of said endless track, said surfaces on each side being defined by widely spaced pairs of elongated narrow supporting surface ribs on one said link laterally of said track alternating with one transverse supporting surface rib on an adjacent said link presenting a supporting surface corresponding substantially to the area of the free space inter-.

mediate said elongated ribs, said elongated ribs and said transverse ribs having the same extent longitudinally of said track, and said transverse supporting surface ribs having a cruciform shape and a Width corresponding substantially to the distance between the outer confines of said pairs of elongated ribs.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,727,089 -9/ 29 Woick 305-35 2,375,170 5/45 McNeil 305-36 2,933,351 4/60 Backhaus 305-58 X FOREIGN PATENTS 494,68 1 6/ 19 France.

46 6, 1.16 11/27 Germany.

478,866 1/3 8 Great Britain.

478,876 1/38 Great Britain.

v ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

CARL I. ALBRECHT, RALPH H. BRAUNER,

Examiners. 

1. AN ENDLESS TRACK FOR CROSS-COUNTRY VEHICLES, PARTICULARLY TANKS, SAID TRACK COMPRISING LINKS PRESENTING PROFILED SUPPORTING SURFACES, SAID LINK BEING INTERCONNECTED AT ADJACENT ENDS THEREOF TO FORM ARTICULATED JOINTS, AND SAID SUPPORTING SURFACES OF ALTERNATING LINKS BEING OF DIFFERENT SHAPES AND BEING ARRANGED ON BOTH SIDES OF A VERTICAL CENTER PLANE AND ALTERNATING ON EACH SIDE OF SAID CENTER PLANE FROM LINK TO LINK LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID ENDLESS TRACK, SAID SURFACES ON EACH SIDE BEING DEFINED BY WIDELY SPACED PAIRS OF ELONGATED NARROW SUPPORTING SURFACE RIBS ON ONE SAID LINK LATERALLY OF SAID TRACK ALTERNATING WITH ONE TRANSVERSE SUPPORTING SURFACE RIB ON AN ADJACENT SAID LINK PRESENTING SUPPORTING SURFACE CORRESPONDING 